Craft Shows

Well, some good news on the CPSIA front. Yesterday the CPSC granted a one year stay of mandatory testing for lead and pthalates for crafters, children's garment manufacturers and toy makers. This is good news for those of us who make items for children of fibers known to be lead free. This is a wonderful development in this story.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is proposing a change to this legislation to support small businesses. We all want to make sure our products are safe, and this will help us to better ensure we all comply with the law.

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small parts, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.